Low Bleeding Rates After Tonsillectomies

At Nemours, we have one of the largest ear, nose, and throat (“ENT” or “otolaryngology”) programs in the country. From 2006 through 2009, we saw nearly 82,000 ENT patients across all of our Nemours locations. So when you come to Nemours for your child’s ear, nose, or throat issue, you can expect top-level care from experienced, highly skilled physician specialists and health care professionals who not only know your child’s condition, but the best treatment options available for your child.

One of the most common operations in children is a tonsillectomy (when a doctor removes the tonsils — those clumps of tissue on both sides of the throat that help fight infections). Often, adenoids (a mass of tissue in the passage connecting the back of the nasal cavity to the throat) are taken out at the same time as the tonsils. When these operations are done together it’s called a “T&A,” for short. One of the ways we deliver top-quality care is by keeping bleeding rates really low for children who need a tonsillectomy or T&A.

As a parent, bleeding is probably something you hadn’t even thought about if your child needs a tonsillectomy. To our ENT surgeons, preventing and minimizing bleeding after surgery (called “postoperative bleeding”) is a top priority. Why? Because bleeding after the operation could mean a trip back to the operating room. When there’s little or no bleeding, the recovery period is smoother.

Every member of our care teams (from our doctors to our nurses) is dedicated to ensuring your child’s health, safety, and comfort while reducing complications.

Our Bleeding Rates Keep Going Down

At Nemours, we’re making huge strides in keeping the frequency of bleeding to a minimum. Based on the number of procedures we did in 2009, less than 1% (just 0.88%) needed intervention for bleeding. Considering the national average is 2%, we’re doing far better than many hospitals and surgical centers throughout the country performing tonsillectomies in kids.

How We Do It

Our bleeding rates at Nemours are so low because our ENT doctors are meticulous in the procedures they perform and in the care they provide. We’ve done the research and have both established the standards and adopted practices based on evidence about what works best for each patient. Our goal is to help kids who’ve just had a tonsillectomy recover with little or no complications.

Better outcomes, such as a significantly reduced bleeding rate, translate to an uninterrupted recovery period, more comfortable patients — and less worried parents. At Nemours, we treat the children we care for as we would our own — whatever it takes.

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